Month: August 2023

Swift says blockchain integration ‘more plausible’ than unifying CBDCs

Bank messaging network Swift has recently shared a report highlighting how Swift can connect with blockchains and solve the issue of interoperability between different blockchain networks.  In a report titled “Connecting blockchains: Overcoming fragmentation in tokenised assets,” Swift concluded that a more incremental approach that interlinks existing systems to blockchains is “more plausible” for market development in the near term, compared to bringing together central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), tokenized deposits and assets in a single unified ledger. Diagram demonstrating how Swift can connect financial institutions with various blockchains. Source:…

Klarna Records Significant Loss in First Half of 2023

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Klarna’s CEO and founder, said that the firm is very hopeful for the second half of 2023, suggesting that the aggressive cost-cutting strategy in 2022 may now be yielding. Despite its efforts towards profitability, buy now, pay later firm Klarna has revealed that it failed to record a half-year 2023 profit. The Swedish firm, which had earlier taken measures to cut costs, confirmed that the measures did help reduce its losses by roughly 67% in the period. However, it was just not enough to improve its overall profitability,…

Airline Group Lufthansa Launches Polygon-Based NFT Loyalty Program

The rewards program has the potential to bring blockchain technology to more users as Lufthansa Group has about 36 million members in its regular Miles and More loyalty program. Lufthansa Group, the parent company of airlines such as Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Eurowings, Brussel Airlines and others, has announced the launch of a new NFT-based loyalty program. Eligible customers in the program will receive blockchain-based digital trading cards that they can use to unlock benefits. The loyalty program is called Uptrip and is available on all of…

X to Collect Users’ Biometric Data after Privacy Policy Update

While on the surface, this may seem like an attempt to provide value to users, it highlights the ongoing tension between personalized experiences and the ethical use of personal data. X, the social media networking giant, formerly known as Twitter, has revised its privacy policy to incorporate the collection and utilization of users’ biometric information. The New Biometric Data Policy With its roots as a microblogging site, X has evolved into a global communications platform that plays a significant role in shaping public discourse. Recognizing the growing importance of data…

Aerodrome Fanatics Deposit $150M to Base Blockchain on First Day

A key problem faced by decentralized exchanges is that rewards emissions are tied to total liquidity, rather than to trading volume, which generates fees for the protocol. To combat this, products like Aerodrome allow holders of their native token, AERO, to lock their holdings for anywhere between one week to four years – in turn of veAERO, a vested AERO token. Source

Can Shiba Inu Climb Before September Starts?

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Shiba Inu (SHIB) enthusiasts are keeping a watchful eye on the coin’s price movements as it inches closer to a crucial juncture in the last day of August. The latest indications from the market suggest that a potential breakout opportunity might be on the horizon, hinting at an imminent directional shift. The ongoing consolidation phase is taking the form of a symmetrical triangle pattern. This pattern, marked by two converging trendlines, signifies a period of uncertainty in the market, often followed by a notable price movement. On August 29, a…

Binance to halt BUSD support due to legal issues

On Aug. 30, Binance informed users via its in-app notification about its intended discontinuation of the BUSD stablecoin support in early 2024. Binance intends to cease support for the BUSD stablecoin. The move indicates a shift in Binance’s operations amidst ongoing legal battles. As Paxos has halted minting of new BUSD, #Binance will now gradually remove support for the stablecoin on our platform. BUSD will always remain backed 1:1 by USD, and we continue to support a wide range of other stablecoins. Find more details below. — Binance (@binance) August…

Ivy Secures $20M in Funding while Taking Open-Banking Payments Global

Ivy will use these funds to expand its footprint in different regions and partner with major payment service providers thereby helping them power their own open-banking offerings.  On Thursday, August 31, Berlin-based startup Ivy announced that it secured a staggering $20 million in funding in order to take the open-banking payments international. Ivy recently built an API to create a “network of networks” for open banking payments globally. Open banking, a concept where traditional banks share their data through APIs to create novel financial services for customers, holds the promise…

Breaking: Swift, Chainlink, and Major Banks Achieve Multi-Blockchain Token Transfer

Swift, the global financial messaging service, announced on August 31, 2023, that it has successfully conducted a series of experiments to facilitate the transfer of tokenized assets across multiple blockchains. Collaborating with major financial institutions and Chainlink ($LINK), a Web3 services platform, Swift aims to solve the interoperability challenges that have been a barrier to the growth of tokenized asset markets. Major banks involved are: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ), BNP Paribas, BNY Mellon, Citi, Clearstream, Euroclear, Lloyds Banking Group, SIX Digital Exchange (SDX), The Depository Trust &…

AI Startup AI21 Labs Raises $155M in Series C Funding Round

AI21 Labs is planning to use the money raised for developing AI products that will compete with ChatGPT developer OpenAI and AI safety and research company Anthropic. AI21 Labs, a Tel Aviv-based AI lab and product startup, has raised $155 million in a Series C funding round that was led by such companies as Walden Catalyst Management LLC, Pitango VC, SCB10X Co Ltd, b2venture, Samsung Next, as well as Google LLC and NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA). The funding round has brought the company’s total capital to $283 million and valued the AI startup at $1.4…